Let Me Fight
by ContraryMaryBee
Summary: Something changed in Ichigo when he fought Kenpachi. A beast inside of him screams "I. WILL. FIGHT." please read and review! Ichigo?


Starts during Ichigo's and Kenpachi's fight on the save Rukia arc!

Rating M of course, blood, gore, swears, maybe some sex

I'm open to **any and all pairings**,(yaoi, het, yuri, anything) if you want to put a vote in, then I shall consider! I'm still debating on the main pairing. ONE THING THOUGH, I hate IchiRuki. Just sayin.

SO HERE WE ARE.

Oh wait, I warn you, there's going to be some OOCness, but hopefully not too much that it bothers you.

-Mayu

Let Me Fight

Chapter One

Blood dripped into his eyes, but he didn't blink, too afraid to let the crazy beast get an advantage. Kenpachi was across from him, that damnable grin on his face, and his sword held low, dripping with Ichigo's blood.

"Come on boy!" screamed the huge man, "You're afraid! Give me a FIGHT!" with a roar he launched forward, and it was everything the strawberry could do to get his sword up to block. He tried to jump away from him, but Kenpachi came after him, yelling unintelligibly. Ichigo cried out when a sword point dug into his side, ripping downwards and leaving a large gaping wound. He jumped away again, holding his sword shakily with one hand.

'_Why do you run?'_ Asked an unidentifiable voice within his head, the words rebounding in his mind like hammers. Ichigo started, blinked and his sword dipped. Suddenly, Kenpachi was there, laughing and his word slicing completely threw Ichigo's own. The orange haired boy was left standing, staring in shock and dismay at his sword. Kenpachi stopped, his grin dropped and he looked at the orange head with contempt.

He snorted, "You disappoint me. You're still a child, afraid of pain, afraid to die." He turned around and walked away.

Ichigo felt anger ignite in his chest, shoving aside the fear, "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Kenpachi stopped and looked over his shoulder, and Ichigo felt the fear grip him again at the sight of the scarred face, and golden eye. "You're worthless for me to fight, go try and save your friend." He turned and continued walking.

Ichigo despaired, gritting his teeth, but he didn't dare yell again. That behemoth could kill him in a second. He looked at his sword, grimacing at just the hilt, and maybe an inch of blade; The rest still lying on the ground.

'_COME!'_ The voice yelled in his mind again, causing Ichigo to jump. Things stopped moving, Kenpachi stilled, the wind wasn't there, the clouds stopped. Everything stopped as Ichigo felt darkness engulf him.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark abyss, with someone standing with their back to him in front of him. It took him a few seconds to assimilate he was there, before Ichigo called out, "Who the hell are you?" Nobody ever said tack was his strongpoint.

The man crossed his arms and turned around to stand imposingly like a wall. His long dark brown hair fell in front of his face to his chin and onto his shoulders, his jacket was like a shadow, falling into whispering black strands that disappeared into the abyss around them.

"I am, Zangetsu." Ichigo blinked.

"Zangetsu? Cutting Moon?" he replied, noticing the other stiffen and raise his head to stared penetratingly at him.

He made an impressed sound, "Hmm, so you heard my name the first time..." Ichigo felt his patience falling rapidly.

"Why did you bring me here? Who are you? I still have to kill that Kenpachi asshole!" Ichigo crossed his own arms, glaring at the other.

The man, Zangetsu, raised a hand, and hundreds of swords swept out of the darkness beneath them to stop all around them, hanging in mid-air. "Kenpachi could cut you to ribbons without a thought." He said, watching Ichigo, "What makes you think you can beat him?" It was a testing question, something that Ichigo didn't pick up on.

The strawberry was uneasy, "Well, I could try." Zangetsu suddenly whispered away into thin air and reappeared a few feet away from the orange haired boy.

"Wrong." he whispered.

Ichigo glared again, "Who are you?" pointing a finger at the man.

"I am your sword. Or rather, your swords soul. I am a part of you Ichigo, you need to know me."

:How can you possibly be my sword? A sword's just a sword isn't it?" Ichigo exclaimed. Suddenly, one of the floating swords around them flew straight at him, blade first. He barely dodged, a slice appearing in his clothes. "What the fuck?" he cried.

Zangetsu spoke again, "I am not just a sword Ichigo. I am a zanpakto. You will never succeed in you quest if ou do not LISTEN!" the man roared, sending Ichigo onto his ass. Zangetsu flowed forward to stand in front of the boy, peering down.

"Why are you fighting Kenpachi?" he asked.

"So I can save Rukia!" Ichigo replied.

"Wrong!" a sword flung itself to land centimeters away from Ichigo, scaring him.

"That's why I'm here isn't it?" he answered angrily.

"You're here in this world because I have gotten fed up Ichigo. During you fight you ran. Ran away from Kenpachi's sword, and Kenpachi, too afraid for your own skin to attack. It was pathetic," he spoke the word like it was poison, "to be your zanpakto in that instance Ichigo."

Ichigo stood, silently. He thought for a second, thought deeply, something slightly uncharacteristic for him.

"I don't want to die." He finally spoke, and it was with a slight hesitancy. Zangetsu regarded him, "Why?"

Ichigo looked at him impassively, "I'm not done yet." Another sword came down form the darkness to land centimeters away form the other side of him, this time he didn't flinch.

"Done what?" Zangetsu said, the swords behind him floating closer and higher, as if they were listening as well.

Ichigo considered this longer, delving into his thoughts. This was Zangetsu, looking at him, Ichigo felt an odd recognition, and something in him was happy and relieved to be seeing the man, the being. It confused him as well as comforted him.

He wasn't done…what? The sentence had been out of his mouth before he understood it. He wasn't done...living? no, that's not it. Come to think of it, Ichigo wouldn't mind dying if it was for a good cause, lik protecting his family or friends, or being bested in a fight. He blinked, remembering Kenpachi saying, 'Give me a good fight boy! Come kill me!'. It wasn't like the man was asking to die, no, he wanted to see if someone could best him, and he would be perfectly fine dying by someone elses hand.

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, is that what he wanted? To die in a good fight? No, he still didn't want to die. Dammit, he's lived through everything in his life by now, why couldn't he live through the rest. He wanted to survive, to get through every hardship that could kill other people. He wanted to fight and _win_.

Something changed right then, the dark abyss pulsed, the swords fled silently, and Zangetsu was left staring at Ichigo.

Ichigo delved deeper into that thought, feeling as though it was the right one. Sure, he wanted to save Rukia, but that was duty. He had to do it. But the minute he found himself with these powers, with a sword he could call his own, with this life of fighting and killing he felt himself be lighter. No longer was life only books and school and people. Now, it was better, dangerous. He could survive even better.

Suddenly Ichigo looked up and locked eyes with his zanpakto, his comrade, the person who knew everything about him and more. Zangetsu gave him a small proud smile, and Ichigo grinned. The strawberry felt his new realization fill him and he threw back his head and laughed.

He wasn't done fighting.

Once his laughter died down, he looked back to Zangetsu, once again with his Ichigo Kurosaki face on, a scowl and no smile in sight. Zangetsu nodded his head and asked, "Have you figured it out?" Ichigo smirked and nodded.

Suddenly, a little box appeared in front of him, inside was an even darker abyss. "Take your true zanpakto Ichigo, and show the world that you will not fall to it." Zangetsu disappeared into shadows. Ichigo looked at the box, before reaching out and sticking his hand into it, feeling the simple bandaged wrapped hold of his sword. He pulled it out and found light devouring him.

Kenpachi mourned to himself the loss of such a good fight. If only Ichigo hadn't run for so long, or been afraid. Kenpachi bet that the boy would have injured him, maybe even killed him. He was about to call out to Yachiru before he felt his instincts scream. He whipped to the side like lightening, but was too slow and got a long cut across his chest for his efforts.

He looked past and found Ichigo standing at ease, looking back at him, with a new sword in his hand. It was still in the shape of the butcher knife, from before, but was shorter, and darker on the top. There was no hilt or guard, just wrapped in a blood red bandage that flowed out with some untouchable wind. On the end of the red cloth were two bells, tied with a red tassel; the bells made no sound.

"What's this? Have you decided to stop running?" Kenpachi started to grin again, feeling the blood run down his chest. Ichigo turned to face him and smirked. Kenpachi noticed the change in the boy, there was no fear in his frame. None, just a sort of excitement.

"Seems like, now, are we going to fight or not?" Ichigo asked before launching forward. Their swords clashed and reiatsu spiked. Kenpachi laughed roughly, before shoving Ichigo away and leaping after, trying to bring his sword under his guard.

Ichigo felt himself going faster and faster, the wound in his side didn't hurt as much and he wondered why.

'_I've stopped the bleeding for a little while, you'll have to kill him before the blood loss catches up.'_ Ichigo ducked and put a slice up the inside of Kenpachi's arm, and danced away before the retaliation caught his neck.

'Zangetsu?' he asked within his mind.

'_Indeed Ichigo. Kenpachi does not know his zanpakto, do you see? She's screaming_.' When Ichigo focused, and because of the amount of reiatsu in the air he heard the pain the zanpakto was in, and it wrenched at his heart.

"You're zanpakto is screaming Ken," he panted, grinning a little, the blood form a new scratch leaking into his mouth.

Kenpachi laughed before trying to crush him. Ichigo turned him away and he growled out, "I don't need something to help me fight, I'll do it on my own!" he proved his point by rushing again, feinting and attacking for the right. Ichigo blocked and weaved around to try to stab his back.

"You realize that your zanpakto is a part of you? You'll just be using a different part of you to add to your strength. You could be even more unstoppable Kenpachi!" Ichigo blocked another strike and pushed back, they were locked in a strength battle. "Didn't think you were one of those weaklings who worked with useless objects Ichigo," Kenpachi said, "But anyways you're giving me the best fight I've had in decades!" He pushed back and reached up, putting a hand ot his eye-patch.

Ripping it off, Ichigo was awed and shocked by the amount of reiatsu that poured off the man. Feeling his arms burn he laughed and raised his own output, being thrown back by the man's pure reiatsu.

'_Ichigo, not too long now, you have to make him fall._' Zangetsu said, _'let go of your limits, let go of fear and WIN!'_

Ichigo straightened his shoulders and grasped his zanpakto with determination. He brought a deep breath and brought his fears to the surface. His fear of hurting people he loved, fear of killing, fear of being killed, fear of going too far, fear of failing. One by one, he abolished them, and with each resolution his reiatsu climbed higher. His eyes glowed blue, his reiatsu was visible, and he grinned finally, feeling beyond strong.

He was fighting, he was going to fucking survive, and for those fears he had, well FUCK THEM.

He laughed wildly, grinning viciously. Kenpachi matched him in reiatsu, and viciousness of his grin. They both charged like bullets, clashing in the middle in a frantic battle of spirit energy. The buildings around them were sliced and beaten; some fell with the force of their collision.

Ichigo pushed forward as hard as he could, and felt exultation when his blade drank Kenpachi's blood. The wound in his side started gushing again, but all he could feel from the presence in his mind was approval, and pride.

Finally, their reiatsu died down with the pain of their injuries. Ichigo found Zangetsu buried deep in Kenpachi's shoulder, down far enough to break his collarbone and maybe even to cut into a lung. Kenpachi's own zanpakto was in his bicep, and he had already lost feeling in that arm. Ichigo stared into Kenpachi's face, finding a man unconcerned that his life was in jeopardy.

Kenpachi started to fall sideway, slipping Zangetsu out of his shoulder, Ichigo sank to his knees. Sitting on his haunches, Ichigo panted, still watching Kenpachi.

"Well done Ichigo." Kenpachi spoke roughly, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"You're welcome you lunatic." Ichigo replied, his energy spent and back to his scowling, moody self.

"What changed? You were so frightened at the start," he laughed, "like a little rabbit you were."

Ichigo growled, "Well, I just decided that the world could go fuck itself. It hasn't done me any favors."

Kenpachi laughed again, coughing up some more. "Yachiru!" he called, and in a pink flash, the little girl was by his side. "Kenny that was awesome! You and Ichi were so strong! The entire city felt your reiatsu!" she spoke excitedly.

Ichigo grimaced at her, now every shinigami in Soul Society knew where he was. He slumped onto his ass, Zangetsu lying next to him. He took the bandage and wrapped it around his forearm.

"Yachiru, I've decided that division 11 will be taken out of the search for the ryoka, get all the members who are left back to the barracks." Kenpachi said, earning himself a shocked look from Ichigo. As his vision got more blurry because of the loss of his blood, Ichigo still asked, "Why did you do that?" to the crazy man by his feet.

"You managed to defeat me Ichigo, automatically you are now a friend of Division 11, and if anyone disagrees I'll just kill them." He answered, glaring at Ichigo.

Ichigo blinked and just nodded. "See you around then strawberry." Kenpachi said, as Yachiru heaved his bulk onto her small shoulder. They disappeared into a shunpo and Ichigo allowed himself to fall back and fall into the darkness that welcomed him.

Yoruichi looked down at the unconscious boy, "You really are something Ichigo." She picked him and his zanpakto up and flashed away. It was time the boy learned something new.

FIRST CHAPTER!

It's probably terrible, ooc and completely wrong. Nothing terribly interesting has happened yet, but that's for the futer. It's going to be AU, but vaguely following canon.

As I have said! Please consider PAIRINGS OF ALL KINDS and send them in! I'm interested!

Cuz im thinking Shirosaki (hollow Ichigo), or Grimmjow…or maybe Yoruichi… for Ichigo I mean. Oo…ooo Kenpachi?

Haha so thoughts on that and what you think of it please!

-mayu!


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